Shahid Azmi and his family are terrorised during the Bombay riots, when hundreds of Muslims died. Later he goes to Kashmir and spends a brief period at a militant training camp but soon returns after witnessing an execution. He moves back to Mumbai where he is arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, for an alleged conspiracy to assassinate some politicians. His brother Arif Azmi tries to bail him out but fails. Shahid is tortured by police and forced to admit to the crime, after which he spends seven years at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. During his incarceration Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh tries to Mind control him. Another inmate, Ghulam Navi Waar, inspires him to begin his college education, and once he is acquitted of the charges, he studies law in Mumbai.